Algae Manufacturer Expands to Serve Japanese Market

Heliae, a manufacturer of advanced algae production technologies, announced last week that it had formed a partnership with Japan-based Sincere Corp., a waste management and recycling company, to form a joint venture and develop a commercial algae production facility in Saga City, Japan.

“As we investigated technology partners for algae production in Japan, Heliae offered a truly complete package,” said Yukihiro Matsuzaka, president of Sincere Corp. “From their algae technology platform, their experience at scale, and their extensive traction in multiple industries, Heliae is clearly a world-class player and we look forward to building upon this joint venture with them and bringing algae production to Japan.”

Sincere has been developing its three core operations: waste management, recycling, and environmental improvement/building maintenance, with its corporate philosophy, “Symbiosis with nature.”

Construction of the Saga City facility is planned to begin in 2015 and Alvita’s astaxanthin product should be available on the market in Japan by 2016.

The Saga City facility will be designed based on Heliae’s first algae production facility in Gilbert, Arizona. This original facility has been operational since 2013 and produces astaxanthin for the North American market.

“Local support for the project has been significant and we’re proud that the new algae production facility will bring significant community development for the Saga City area through job creation and tax revenue,” said Dan Simon, CEO of Heliae. Heliae is a platform technology company that uses sunlight and low-cost carbon feedstocks to produce high-value products from algae.